Listen to my Song

alone in ethnic studies
its friday
i'm working on a paper
should be going to michigan
am not
going out tonight
studying now
alone in ethnic studies

Do you need me to sing it for you?

here we go

"So, without further ado, here are our new team leaders! Please feel free to email them to congratulate them!

Finance: Murphy Knepfel

Event Planning: Katy Hayes

Logistics: Ericka Seastrand

Marketing: Ross Kent

Sales Representative: Eric Dale"


Well there is our New @Madison EB- kind of got goosebumps all over when I read it. In the words of sara, I'm going to try my best to IMPACT PEOPLE!

Spring to Life

I've decided that my lack of productiveness on many saturdays and sundays this past year due to excessive fun the night before was a complete waste. I am now the believer that you can power through the feeling crappyness that is all too familiar to most after an evening of all out-ness. yes all out-ness.

The evening entailed some fun with my girls and some unexpected run ins with a few random dudes. I had never been here before- and i was warned about its shadiness- oh and it was. Eh well bevreges helps you ignore the old men standing around. When I finally got into my room- and oh what a process that was- I was out like a light. I was informed this morning how there was a shootings under the witte ogg bridge last night between 2-3. um scary?

So the alarm goes off, and I 'm out the door walking down johnson with my Pop's pink cup of water. The water brought relief as i sat through my two back to back power lectures, espanol, and my discussion. To end the day- a meeting. Didn't think I'd make it, and what did I do when I got home? You'd think a nap would be in order, but surprisingly a phone call as i was climbing into my bed asking me to go play basketball in the beautiful weather sounded intriguing. I don't play bbal so it was a big deal. A run down the lake shore path followed- such a wonderful way to spend a beautiful day *sigh* i love spring.

So here I sit- Totally energized (how? Still trying to figure that one out) and ready for a night with Helen.

Today made me feel really good inside and I don't know why- must be the fresh air. The only nagging pain i felt was everytime i opened my planner today to see fridays night orange highlighted CASINO NIGHT crossed out.

good things come to those who wait. Or is it.. don't let life slip through your fingers?

You're such a Goof!

Happy Internatinal Goof off day! Take a breather, Watch some TV, listen to music, play a joke, tella joke! Have a great day goofing off! :)

as for me- i'm with helen in preparation for my two exams tomorrow- how goofy.

And so it is

Venice Florida has tons of prehistoric shark teeth on its beaches. It also has tons of prehistoric people.

The week has come and gone- and all that remains are the blissful memories of the sunbathing on the beach and the sand at the bottom of my duffel. Spending a week with the family, and a rotation with sleeping in the same bed as my two sisters is quite the experience- and I have to say it was wonderful.

There were many occurrences in Venice this week- and I'd like to touch on a few of them...
First off, The tennis pro at Venice golf and country club had a stick up his bottom this week. On one sunny afternoon- when the courts were abandoned - my sisters went out to hit some balls when the Pro arrived (actually he might have been the manager- still a mystery) and asked us if the soft courts were dry- we told him yes, and he preceded to scold us for "ruining the courts- which now can't be played on for AT LEAST 5 days"...And "if we knew how to hit a tennis ball correctly, we'd have broken ankles by now from the shoes we wearing."-->
Dear Old Tennis Grouch,
I do know how to hit a tennis ball- and I'm sorry I left my Wilson's at home.
Love,
Katy

Second, My great uncle Rich wrote a biography of his parents (my great grandparents) and my grandma (his sister) had a copy for my family. It was around 15 pages long- and let me tell you. What a story it was. I found out that my great grandfather got into a car accident(broom street in Madison) in 1933 and had multiple scull fractures- he had to have brain surgery (in 1933! Scary!) It turned out that part of his brain was damaged that caused a change in his personality and caused him to be a chronic alcoholic. The pages I read detailed his long struggle (and that of my grandma and siblings as children) through the disease, his long (and complete) recovery and his rejoining of civil society. He went on to be a faci on AA events, speaker, and friend to many suffering from the disease.

In 1980(something) a man came into my great Uncle Rich's printing shop- that had the family name Murphy on the sign outside. The man asked my uncle rich if by chance Murphy had any relation to Ray Murphy. Rich said that it was his father. The man then told my uncle that Ray Murphy was a great man- and that he had saved his life.

Dear Great Grandpa Ray,
Although I never met you, I am inspired by your strength and I can only hope to touch as many lives in a positive manner as you did.
Love,
Katy



And One last event I'd like to touch on:

I read in the Venice paper about an event that happened in downtown venice this past week. Two foreign looking men parked a pick up truck outside on the street and to go in to get lunch. Someone saw the men leave there car parked on the street and thought it was suspicious and called 911 and reported suspicious behavior and a possible terrorism attack. The entire downtown area of the call was evacuated including homes. All because of how the two men looked- Terrorism- popped into someone's mind and the rest is history.

After the stereotype themed GMM we had a few weeks ago- the more and more I've heard about other people's experiences with similar situations of racial stereotypes. This one was another eyeopener for me- something has got to change.

Oh! one more thing! In the Tampa Airport at 645am approx- a women's voice came over the intercom system and and announced something the tone of: ATTENTION AIESEC GROUP YOU ARE TO MEET in somelocation in the airport or something. (hey I was half asleep at the time). I thought I heard AIESEC but I thought it was in my head or something- until my dad says: Katy there's an AIESEC group here- maybe coming in from another country? and my sister goes Ya it was on the loudspeaker. How's that for a household name?

Dear Those of you still reading,
I'm done :)
Love,
Katy

sun salt and sand

In the last 48 hours i've spent a good 10 of them at the beach. Ahh It feels good. Well not right now- sunburn is a bitch, but I'm not complaining. I've been waiting for this for too long to complain. Quality time with my sisters is prolly the best part so far...*sigh* I wish they could bottle up the feeling of vacation so you could keep it in your pocket all the time. How handy would that be- sitting in Ethnic studies and whip out your bottle of vaca...ahhh if only.

HCW

If you are reading this and coming to helen tonight- If you could bring me a sweatshirt and tylenol for my headache I would really love you. Maybe that would help my bruised knee as well.

T-2

just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming.la da la la la!!! Trying to keep my head above water for two more days- as everyone else is I'm sure.

And life goes on

WHAT A WEEKEND! Yes..another one for the books- Fridays second newbie social was seriously lacking newbies, but it was a fun time regardless. I tried to make it an early night (leaving by 3) so I would be able to function Saturday for once...but of course that did not happen. Grabbing some quick pizza on the way home ended in a hour and a half conversation (all in spanish might I add) that I listened to intently. The two guys I was with asked me if they should speak in English, but I thought hey, It won't be that long of a convo prolly and hey its fun to listen to another language. Well, there was a lot to be said I guess, lasting untill after 4am when the guys cleaning kept staring at us wanting us to leave. The topics ranged from mexican-american streotypes, voting in mexico, immigration, being able to go to war and not drink, mexican night life- and a few I can't remember. I had little to say, but concentrated hard to catch the jist of the conversation. I was surprised at how much I understood, but realized how much I couldn't speak it- If they asked me a question I sputtered out a chopped up sentence and finally rambled it off in english. I liked it, and it was a good, and surprising way to end the evening.

The weekend ended with a startling call from a friend Sunday morning that was the kind of call you dread. Another one of those that snap things into perspective for you and make you realize how precious life is. That call kicked off a day of putting the backpack a side- telling old stories, hugging friends, a box of klennex, watching movies and ordering in food. Looking for the good out of the bad, is hard to find sometimes- life is complicated but I do believe our lives are all intertwined. Out of the sadness, a smile came to my face as a tear rolled down my check- I remembered the phone call that woke me up Saturday morning- my bestfriend is an Aunt.

ahh- the circle of life.

BAM!

So I went through one of the most stressful 50 min I've had in a while earlier today. It was comprised of my Spanish Literature and Culture Midterm. I came in feeling completely prepared- and left feeling violated. Maaaan who cares about La Oracion de Marilyn Manroe anyways?! Well so I went over the bell about 8 min- and I'm walking home huffing and puffing- I get about half way and I realize, "SHIT WHERE AM I GOING?! I CAN'T GO HOME I STILL HAVE CLASS TODAY!" ...yes this occurred to me in the middle of university. It wouldn't have been that bad except I was totally spacing and not thinking of my surroundings and just stopped dead, gasped, and spun around- knocking into about 5 people, hard. So it ends with me, marching my ass back up to social sci and sitting through my econ discussion- which all in all wasn't that bad, I'm thinking it's my favorite class right now- which is extremely weird and I never would have thought I'd hear myself say that a few months ago.

I need a nap.